More than two years after a north-side gas-station shooting left 30-year-old Andrew Garza dead, his family says the justice system has shifted from lifeline to holding pattern. Garza was shot while pumping gas with his uncle on Feb. 28, 2024, and relatives say slow court movement has stretched their mourning into a grinding, years-long wait. The lag has left his daughter and other loved ones pressing prosecutors for answers they thought would have come long ago.
How investigators say the shooting unfolded
The gunfire erupted shortly before 6:30 a.m. at Sunny’s convenience store, when three people pulled up and allegedly tried to rob Garza and his uncle, according to a Houston Police Department release. Detectives say the uncle pulled a gun and exchanged shots with the suspects. Garza was hit multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to investigators.
Officers later traced the three suspects to an area hospital, where one of them was being treated for injuries, the Houston Police Department stated. After the medical staff finished treatment, police took all three into custody.
Three charged with capital murder
Local reports identify the suspects as 22-year-old Travante Marques Purvis, 19-year-old Christian Nicholas Barrera and 24-year-old Fernando Aguilar Jr., who were later charged with capital murder. The men were arrested after seeking treatment at a nearby hospital, and booking information published by FOX 26 Houston details bond amounts and related information. A separate article offered a 2024 fatal-shootout roundup of the arrests. Authorities say the capital-murder case is being handled in the 208th State District Court.
Family still pushing for answers
On Wednesday, Garza’s relatives told KHOU they are frustrated that, more than two years after the killing, the case has not brought the sense of closure they were hoping for. The family has repeatedly urged prosecutors to move the case forward and say they are tired of feeling stuck in procedural limbo.
Back when the shooting first made headlines, KTRK shared the words of Garza’s 13-year-old daughter Aniyah, who remembered him as “the best father I could ask for.” Relatives now point to that memory as the emotional engine keeping them in the fight for accountability and an end to what they describe as lingering uncertainty.
What the charges mean
Prosecutors have filed capital-murder charges, an enhancement that under Texas law can carry life in prison or, in some circumstances, the death penalty, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Houston Police Department has noted that the case was filed in the 208th State District Court, where pre-trial motions and scheduling decisions will determine whether it moves toward a full trial.
Capital cases like this can take months or even years to resolve, and Garza’s relatives say that extended timeline has become its own kind of pain. For now, they say they will keep pressing for a trial date and clear public accountability. The family told KHOU they are holding out hope that the next court calendar finally brings the answers they have been waiting for.
